This one’s hot off the presses. Just yesterday, our friends at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a press release on its latest ruling related to foreign ‘money service businesses (MSBs).’

An MSB is a private company that provides certain financial services like check cashing, money orders, title pawn, payday loans, travelers’ checks, prepaid stored value cards, tax refund payments, etc.

Frequently, traditional MSB clients tended to be individuals without bank accounts or access to credit. But increasingly, the US government is looking at companies engaged in electronic payments, crowdsourced funding, and even microcredit finance as money service businesses.

The implication? They should all be regulated. Even if they’re not even US companies.

That’s right. FinCEN’s latest ruling suggests a foreign MSB may now be subject to US regulations AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES “even if none of its agents, agencies, branches or offices are physically located in the United States.”